What is 'Advertising'?

Ok folks - we're an advertising group, but what is 'advertising' Has anyone ever defined it? Does it include 'promotion' items? An example is attached...a 1929 World Cruise souvenir diary from the Canadian Pacific shipping line. Is it 'advertising'? I think it is, but some people might say that it's just promotion, and doesn't actually 'advertise' CP Ships.

Is there a comprehensive definition anywhere? On a slightly dififerent note, imagine going on a World Cruise in 1929 and (probably) spending lots of money, only to find out by the end of the year that you should have kept that money because your investments had tanked!

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Most dictionary type definitions for advertising follow this line: "Communication whose purpose is to inform potential customers about products and services."

As with all things in the antiques world I think we all tend to blur the lines. We can't even really define the word "antique" or "collectible" to anyone's complete satisfaction.

I think your piece could be advertising, ephemera or shipping memorabilia :)

I did find some interesting information on Wikipedia:

"Egyptians used papyrus to make sales messages and wall posters. Commercial messages and political campaign displays have been found in the ruins of Pompei and ancient Arabia. Lost and found advertising on papyrus was common in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Wall or rock painting for commercial advertising is another manifestation of an ancient advertising form, which is present to this day in many parts of Asia, Africa, and South America.

In June 1836, French newspaper La Presse is the first to include paid advertising in its pages, allowing it to lower its price, extend its readership and increase its profitability and the formula was soon copied by all titles. Around 1840, Volney Palmer established a predecessor to advertising agencies in Boston.[7] Around the same time, in France, Charles-Louis Havas extended the services of his news agency, Havas to include advertisement brokerage, making it the first French group to organize. At first, agencies were brokers for advertisement space in newspapers. N. W. Ayer & Son was the first full-service agency to assume responsibility for advertising content. N.W. Ayer opened in 1869, and was located in Philadelphia."